40 Under 40

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Welcome to the 2014 40 under 40, our list of the most influential young people in business. They’re in technology, yes, but also finance, fashion, film, real estate and even plant-based food. They’re all disrupting—and they’re all just getting started.

Anthony Watson, 37

Chief Information Officer, Nike

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Watson in Beaverton, Ore.

Courtesy of Nike

As chief information officer of Europe, Middle East, and global operations of Barclays, Watson helped the bank manage its tech department more like a startup than a stodgy bank. His team launched numerous mobile banking apps, got bank accounts open faster, and pioneered new forms of mobile payment. In April he moved west—way west—to Nike, where he’s already spearheaded a big deal with Juniper Networks. A rare openly gay executive in the C-suite of a Fortune 500 company, the London-born Watson has been a champion of diversity throughout his career, and in 2013 became the first non-U.S. citizen to join the board of LGBT advocacy group GLAAD.

5 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW

1

He is a “fierce multi-tasker.”

2

His favorite drink is a Hendrick’s gin martini stirred, ice cold, with a slice of cucumber